Blade Runner RPG Launches on Kickstarter, Approaches $1 Million on First Day

A tabletop RPG set in the world of Blade Runner has crushed its initial Kickstarter funding goal and is quickly approaching the $1 million threshold. Earlier today, Free League Publishing launched the Kickstarter for Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game, a new game that allows players to step into the world of the Blade Runner movies. The new game will use the Year Zero game engine found in other Free League Publishing RPGs, such as its popular Alien RPG or the tabletop version of Tales From the Loop. Players will have the option of playing either humans or replicants and will start the game as members of the Rep-Detect Unit searching for rogue replicants in LA. The game is set in 2037, which places it right between the two movies. 

The Year Zero game engine used by Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game is built around players rolling a pair of dice, which range in size from a D6 to a D12. Any roll of a 6 or higher counts as a success, with multiple successes triggering special abilities. Players will also have the option of re-rolling dice based on certain abilities they have depending on whether their character is a replicant or a human. 

The initial success of Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game continues a strong two year stretch for tabletop roleplaying games on Kickstarter. While only four TTRPGs broke the $1 million dollar mark prior to the start of 2021, there have since been 13 additional Kickstarter campaigns to break that mark since the start of 2021, as tracked by the RPG news site ENWorld.  Two of those Kickstarter campaigns have come this year, with Old Gods of Appalachia’s $1.6 million campaign still active.

Backers who pledge $31 or more will receive a digital copy of Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game and a Starter Set for the game as soon as the Kickstarter ends. Printed versions of the game will be available in November for higher tier backers. A limited edition Deluxe version is also available. 

The Kickstarter for Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game will remain open until May 26th.

You can check out the full Kickstarter here.